New Friends, Old Friends
by Bane7567
Summary: Read this if you read Origins. After Dr. Calico is defeated, Penny and Bolt's lives finally return to normal, and Brady and Penny start over and grow closer, but evil is still lurking.
1. Apologies

Please note the following:

I do not own any of these characters.

Credit for anything sourced from Origins (names and plots) should go to Australian Chaos, and credit for anything pulled from Bolt goes to Disney

This story is an AU (Alternate Universe) to any sequels to Origins A.C. may have in mind.

And yes, I do have permission from Australian Chaos to write this.

If you like it, Great! R&R. If you don't, well that's your opinion. This is my first Fan-Fic, so complement, criticize, just tell me what you think. Okay, enough chit-chat, let's get to it.

**New Friends, Old Friends**

Chapter 1: Apologies

"Penny. Penny! Wait up," Brady said, running towards the red-haired girl walking her American White shepherd. It had been two days since Bolt, Penny, and her father, Richard, had returned from Calico's facility in Los Angeles, and Penny had assured Brady that she wasn't interested in a relationship. Now, Brady had finally plucked up the courage to actually talk to Penny.

She sighed heavily at the sound of his voice and turned around to face him. Bolt emitted a low growl, but Penny gestured him away. "Brady," she sighed. "Do we have to go through this again?"

"No! No," replied almost instantly, chuckling sadly. "No, not again, no."

"Then what do you want?"

Brady hesitated for a moment, "I…uh, um. Well I wanted to…uh," he sputtered.

"Yes? Go on," Penny said.

"I just…uh, I wanted to…uh, I," _Just say it already!_ His mind screamed. "I just…wanted to," he gulped. "Apologize, for everything." Penny snorted in disgust. "No I mean it!" Brady continued, almost yelling. " I am, I truly am sorry. Not just for trying to beat Bolt, but for futilely trying to get you as my girlfriend. You were right, I don't really see any attraction in you whatsoever, except for the way you act that's it. So, again, I'm sorry for being too stupid to take a hint from you." Penny smirked inwardly, he was right there. "And for thinking that Bolt was the reason that you didn't want me. I know why now, so for the last time I'm sorry. It's just that…I got so caught up in trying to get someone else to hang out with I didn't think about what you wanted. And now you hate me," Brady sighed as he turned to leave. "It's just another thing I've screwed up."

Brady walked away, his eyes beginning to water. Penny rose with sympathy, _He just needed someone to talk to, to be an actual friend_. "Brady! Wait," Penny shouted, running after him. "Brady, please, just wait."

Brady sighed and turned to Penny, "What?"

"Listen to me, first of all, I never said I _hate_ you, I just don't like you. Second, you know why I haven't liked you, it's because you tried to get someone to like you, you were someone else. You don't need to try, just be who you are." Penny placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling. "Be who Brady Lawrence really is."

Brady looked down for a moment, then looked up back at Penny, "Are...are you sure you want to give me a second chance?"

Penny's smile broadened, "Yes, you just need to learn to be less self-centered and caring about others. Why don't we head over to Macca's and discuss it over coke, for real this time."

He hesitated for a moment, then made his decision, "Alright, let's go." he responded as he began walking beside Penny., Brady could hardly believe what she had done, giving him a second chance? She was so caring and forgiving. "Hey, Penny?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."


	2. A New Start

Chapter 2: A New Start

Bolt looked the window at Macca's, watching Penny sit and talk with smooth haired boy, trying to figure out why she was even looking at the kid who tried to beat him senseless not more than a couple days ago. _What are you doing Penny? Don't you remember what this creep tried to do to me? Are you ganging up on me? Don't you care about me?_ All these questions were flying through Bolt's head when he heard something familiar. "Hey wags!" the familiar voice said.

Bolt spun around to see a familiar black and white cat approaching. "Wha...MITTENS!" he shouted and ran towards his old friend. The animal couple embraced, then Bolt's happiness turned to confusion. "But Mittens, it's not that I'm not happy to see you it's just...well, what are you doing here? I thought you preferred the life of a stray."

Mittens simply smiled at him and responded, "Oh I do, it's just that...well, let's just say L.A. isn't all it's cracked up to be. That and the fact that animal control was enforced, by a lot."

Bolt pondered it for a moment, then his happiness returned, "Awesome! Now you can come live with us!"

The feline's expression went blank as she hesitated for a moment, "Ah...see Bolty, um. Well...I don't really do domestic houses anymore. I'm more of an alley cat at heart, y'know?"

"Oh come on! Penny would love to have another pet! It'll be fun."

"No really, it's okay..."

"Come on, Please?"

"NO Bolt!...It's okay really."

"Well, why not?"

Mittens had hoped he wouldn't ask this, "Because..." she sighed heavily, tears filling her eyes, "'Cause last time I was in one of them...they just left me...wondering what I did wrong."

By now, a single tear was gradually rolling down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, but Bolt had already seen it. He placed his paw on Mittens's shoulder, "I'm...I'm sorry Mittens, but Penny's different. She would never dream of hurting any animal. Please, if you come live with me, you'll get the best love and care possible, I promise you."

Mittens wondered who she could trust, especially since her former master had betrayed her. Then she looked up at the White Shepherd, she made her decision, "Okay Bolt, I trust you, but can I? Can I trust Penny? Can I trust..."

"Yes, you absolutely can," Bolt cut her off. "There's no one in the world you can trust more than Penny."

Mittens noticed Penny inside and stared at her for a moment. She appeared trustworthy, and Bolt said she was, and she trusted Bolt. She sighed heavily again as she turned to Bolt who still smiling. "Alright Bolty...I trust you, are you sure I can..."

"Absolutely," Bolt answered, nuzzling her lightly, not needing to know what she going to say. "You're not going to regret Mittens, I promise."

Mittens smiled at this, but still had her doubts. She quickly changed the subject, "So uh, what's going on in here?" she asked, though it was plainly obvious.

"Oh, yeah that's just some kid who..."

"Aw, she has a boyfriend, that's so cute!" Mittens finished.

Bolt was taken aback by this, it was one of the few thoughts that hadn't crossed his mind. Could Penny be finally falling in love with him. _No. No, not that fast, maybe she's just telling him to be nicer or something._ "No. She's not in love with him, she's just..."

"Getting to know who he really is?" Mittens theorized.

"Uh...yeah right, exactly. I'm still not so sure about him though. He tried to beat me with a stick."

"Oh come on."

"I'm serious! That guy is no good, and now he's seduced Penny."

"Oh please! Paranoid much? He obviously apologized and she wants to give him a second chance, you know, like a fresh start or something. He's not evil or anything."

"Maybe, but I still don't trust him."

"Shouldn't you trust him if Penny trusts him?"

Bolt pondered this for a moment, he did naturally trust anyone Penny did, "I guess so...but still, it's my job to protect her."

"Yes I know, and you can do that, but just remember, there is such a thing as overly protective."

* * * * * *

Meanwhile, inside Macca's, Penny was explaining how Brady could be less focused on himself, and more on the needs of others, and he couldn't be a showoff with all his new gadgets or anything, he just had act like who he was. After that, despite what she and Richard had talked about, Penny only saw it fair to tell Brady where she had been all that time. So she explained the entire story, about Bolt, and the henchmen at her house and in Joe's pet store, the incident in Highton, the base in Bolivia, and the facility in L.A. Brady listened intently keeping in mind the fact that he couldn't speak a word of it to anyone, though it was tempting. When the story was done, Brady realized what he had been worrying about. The two remained silent for a few moments before Brady spoke up, "Okay, I believe you, but Penny?"

"Yeah?"

"I really was worried about you when I heard," he said softly.

Penny smiled and placed her hand over his, "Thanks Brady, maybe I was a little harsh, but I was just tired of that stupid love chase and from Los Angeles. But I believe you."

The two simply beamed at each other. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


	3. In the Shadows

Chapter 3: In the Shadows

A group of men in black suits sat in a large, semi-circle of fold-up chairs in an abandoned warehouse, all whispering among themselves. Suddenly, a door slam was heard and all went silent, the semi-circle of chairs faced the direction the noise. There was a few moments of silence before a sinister voice pierced the darkness. "Good evening, gentlemen. I'm so glad you could attend this little 'party' of mine."

The men stared into the darkness to see a pair of eyes floating towards them, the right one an average human's eye, the was a bright green with the pupil a long, vertical slit, like a cat. As the two eyes bobbed forward, the light revealed the tall, slim man they were attached to, who was wearing a suit and had hair that was black on top and grey on the back of his head. He was none other than the notorious, Doctor Calico. "I'm so glad you all could make it. Now, any ideas for world domination? Go on, speak up, there are no wrong answers."

The black-suited men looked at each other for a moment, before one found the courage to say, "Y-you're asking **us**, sir?"

The green-eyed man snickered, "Yes it does sound odd, doesn't it? I just prefer the opinion of my loyal henchmen."

The men in black looked around again. However, some had other ideas, "Sir, with all due respect, why do we need to even try to conquer the world. That mangy mutt will just stop us. And world domination is all you really want instead of a successful business, than I quit."

The bold henchman got up and began walking towards the door, Calico merely smiled and stated, "You know, I've seen many movies, and when one of the villain's men doesn't agree...well, in one he was launched out a blimp."

The henchman stopped just short of the door. "Do you really want to find out what happens when someone leaves me?"

The man sighed, he really didn't want to find out. He turned back to the group and returned to his seat. "I thought so. Come now, men, I am certain we can think of something. Something that not even the precious little Bolt can..."

Calico froze. That was it. Bolt. And the girl, they had to be taken care of. But the question remained, "How?" How could he get his hands on them? How would he dispose of them? Provided he even found them. After about a half minute of silence the good doctor decided to share his thoughts, "That's it. If we can simply capture those loathsome two, there will be no one to stand in our way."

"But how sir?" asked a curious man. "And after we catch them, what will we even do with them? What are we even going to do when they're out of the way?"

"You know, I appreciate it when you say 'when' or 'after we catch them', it gives me confidence, it really does. And on second thought, forget about your opinion, let me worry about the 'domination' part. First things first."

Another suited man approached Calico, only it was a normal suit, not body armor. The man had pale white skin and appeared to be more of a butler than henchman. He whispered into Calico's ear. The doctor smiled and responded, "Oh you do know where they are?"

The man nodded, "Ah good work, Wilson. Send an assassin there immediately. Tell him I want them both, dead or alive."

Wilson nodded again and began walking out, suddenly stopped by his boss. "On second thought Wilson, I prefer to execute them personally. Tell him I want them alive. No disintegrations."

"Yes sir," he responded and began walking again, Calico reminded him of Darth Vader for some reason.

After the assassin, got the message, he loaded his weapons, and boarded his plane, which resembled more of a sci-fi starfighter. It was all black, a half circle shape with the cockpit in the middle, and two arches sticking out the front. From above it appeared to be the back of the head of a cat, only with four large rapid fire revolvers, two on the front and two in the back and twelve missiles mounted on the underside. The fighter started up and blasted out of the scrap yard, which served as Calico's base until the newer one was up and running in Arizona, and headed towards the country, towards the township of Silverlake.


	4. Friendship

Chapter 4: Friendship

The next term of school had started for Penny and Brady about a week later. The two began spending more time together, not too much to give some of Penny's friends the idea that they were finally going out, but more than usual. Although Brady wouldn't spend too much time near Bolt, even though Penny had assured him she told Bolt not to hurt him unless she said otherwise, he wasn't so sure about him, especially since he learned what he could do. Even with Penny around, Brady still felt discomfort around the dog, not just because of his powers, but for some reason Bolt continually eyed him, whether it was in class (for he was allowed inside) or outside or in the park, Bolt was always watching. Brady had already informed Penny of this, but she just laughed and told him to calm down and reminded him yet again that Bolt wouldn't hurt him without her permission. Brady had learned to ignore it most of the time and talk to Penny normally for once, at first it was a few more questions on how he could be a better person, but as time progressed they discussed normal events in the world or on TV like normal and plain (though they would be neither with Bolt) friends, with the occasional query about Calico or her two week absence, but otherwise, their lives were proceeding as normal. Penny knew that she would've hated hanging out with the 'old Brady', and she wondered if she would regret giving him another chance, but she didn't wonder anymore, in fact she was thankful. She even felt a little proud of herself, she had saved Brady from a life of selfishness, and after spending some more time with him, she felt something. She realized that she may have more in common with the real Brady than she thought, she had come to know and like him for who he was. But she was sure she would never love him. Not after what they had been through with the love chase, even though she liked him as friend, she still had no desire to go out with him. Then again, she didn't really have a desire to date anyone at the time. But if she did, she wouldn't look in Brady's direction. All he needed was a friend who liked him for who he was, not for what he had, nothing more.

Meanwhile, Richard was busy in his lab underneath Joe's pet store, trying to perfect his experiments which he had tested on a small, light brown hamster who spent most of his days in a plastic ball in front of a television. Richard hadn't try anything large scale on him, just a few drops of self made chemicals to see the effects, all returned negative. When he wasn't testing he was using the lab's scanners and radar to try and see if Calico had set up shop anywhere else. He had picked up a large facility under construction somewhere in Arizona, who and what it was for was classified. But he still kept his eye on it, just in case.

Suddenly, his phone rang, which he quickly answered, "Hello?"

"Hi daddy," Penny's voice came from the other line.

Richard smiled at this, "Hi sweetie, how are you? How was your day?"

"Fine, fine," she answered hastily. She didn't like giving stories about her day. "Hey dad, would it be okay if I could have a friend over this afternoon? I promised him I'd do my homework with him."

_Him?_ Richard was startled by this for a moment, then calmed down knowing he had a history of assuming the worst when it came to Penny's friends, and besides, at least they were helping each other with school work, "Uh...uh yeah, sure baby. That'd be fine. I'll be home in a little bit, and get you guys some food, okay?" he answered as he began shutting down his computers and took Rhino out of his ball, turned off the television he was glued to, and placed him in his cage.

"Okay daddy. Love you. Bye," she responded and hung up.

"See you tomorrow, Rhino," he said as he packed his things and headed towards the ladder that led up to the store. He switched off the lights, leaving one on as usual for the hamster, and went up. Had he been down there two minutes longer, the radar would've been on to detect a unidentified aircraft entering the area. One of Calico's air craft.


	5. Abduction

Chapter 5: Abduction

"Okay, so do you get this now?" Penny said to Brady, both lying on their stomachs on Penny's bed, snacking the pizza her father had made for them, a variety of folders and papers sprawled out in front of them.

"Uh, yeah I think so. Good thing to, because I don't know how much longer our teacher will tolerate me before his head explodes," Brady answered.

Penny burst out in laughter almost instantly after the comment, their math teacher was losing patience, even though he, as a teacher, was supposed to be patient when a student didn't understand. "His fuse is only so long," Penny said, reaching for another slice of pizza.

Meanwhile, Bolt was watching in the doorway, still uncertain about the new friendship. Mittens walked up behind him, "Ooh, Bolt you were right, it _is_ better here," she exclaimed with a full stomach, something that had not happened for a while.

Penny had found Mittens outside of Macca's, after she had talked to Brady. She recognized her instantly as the cat from Los Angeles, and decided she wanted to stay with them since the cat had followed them home. Penny officially registered and adopted Mittens at Joe's animal rescue. "Glad you're happy," Bolt replied, not taking his eyes off of the boy next to Penny.

"What are you doing?" Mittens questioned looking into the room. "Oh, still? Come on Bolt you're still watching this guy? You can trust him, yes he tried to beat you but that was before, he's a friend of Penny, isn't he? I mean have you been this obsessed over one of Penny's friends before?"

Bolt sighed, "No. But before, Penny's friends haven't hated me."

"Oh please! He doesn't hate you now, he just hasn't really been able to get to know you because you've been watching him like a hawk, it's a little creepy."

"Yeah well, get used to it. I want to make sure this guy doesn't try anything on Penny."

"Bolt come on! He's started over hasn't he? Like I said, Penny trusts him, you should trust him to and stop acting like an over protective father."

"I'M NOT!" Bolt shouted, then cooled down. "I just, want her to be safe. It's my job to protect her."

Mittens smiled, "And you can, without watching them twenty-four seven. And think about it, Calico's done. We'll probably never see him again." Mittens had no idea how wrong she was.

"So, we're all set then?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, I think that's it for homework. Finally. Well, I should be getting home then..."

"Oh, well, you don't have to go just yet. I mean you haven't been here too long, we could talk or something."

Brady looked over at Penny in amusement, "You, Penny are asking _me_, to stay longer?"

"I know it sounds weird, but...I mean, do have any else to do?"

Brady thought about it for a moment, "Well, no but...wait, you're being extra nice to me aren't you?"

Penny instantly knew what he was thinking, "No no, it's nothing like that, it's just I wondered if you wanted to y'know, just hang out."

"I know, I know, I'm kidding. Sure, I could stay for a little bit yet, my parents don't get home for another half hour, so..."

"Great," Penny looked down at what was left of the pizza they had demolished, and then looked up at Bolt who had been standing in the doorway the entire time. She smiled and said, "Bolt, here boy, ya hungry?" Bolt barked happily in response. "Good boy."

She laid down the remains and gave Bolt the whole sit and stay drill. "Good boy," Penny said to Bolt who instantly devoured the remains. Then Penny turned to Brady, "You wanna go downstairs?"

Brady shrugged, "Sure." The two packed up their homework and proceeded to the living room, Bolt following as soon as the pizza was no more.

Later that evening, _The_ _Stalker III_ touched down on the outskirts of Silverlake, nearby a highway. The assassin came roaring out on a motorbike as soon as the cargo ramp had came down. The biker speeded onto the highway, and headed towards the dim lights of the small country town.

When he arrived, he saw the town met the description he had been given exactly. He knew exactly where to go. He silently came to a stop outside Penny's house, and dismounted. The man looked around for any sign of authorities, then cautiously proceeded towards the house as soon as the last light went out and he was sure the professor was asleep. When the man reached the door, he instantly activated a wrist mounted blow torch and cut through the lock with ease. The assassin tip-toed up the stairs and carefully opened the door to Penny's room, he smiled to himself that he found the right room. His smile vanished when he noticed Bolt and a black cat lying on each side of Penny. The cat wouldn't be a problem, and he had a plan for the dog. He held the bag of styrofoam over Penny's bed after he had stunned Mittens, praying it would still effect the dog. He released his grip on the bag, spilling the peanuts out onto the bed. The man held his breath as he saw Penny began to move, then sighed when she just rolled over. But Bolt awoke instantly, looking around at what happened and gluing his eyes on the man in black, Bolt attempted to use his powers against him, but for some reason couldn't seem to be able to activate them. The man stunned him instantly before he could even growl, feeling the electricity flow through his body and no longer being indestructible, he fell groggily to the floor which woke Penny, who barely had time to react, "What? Bolt? BOLT?"

She took her eyes off Bolt to see a large bag come over her head, and when she tried to struggle, she too was stunned into submission. The two were dragged out of the house and loaded onto the awaiting motorcycle, the assassin drove off back towards his craft, chuckling all the way.

Brady walked cheerfully towards Penny's house on a sunny Saturday morning. He was careful not to arrive too early, not knowing when Penny normally got up on days off, so he left around eleven, getting up at ten himself. He went up to the door and rang the door bell, expecting to hear Bolt's wild barking at his sudden presence, but instead, two seconds later the door swung open with Penny's father standing in the doorway. "Oh Brady, it's you," Richard said in almost disappointment.

"Yeah, hi Mr. Hudington, is Penny..."

"Look, Penny's not here and I have to go." He grabbed a bag, rushed passed Brady, slamming the door behind him and nearly sprinting towards his car.

"Oh well, um...is everything okay?"

Richard stopped just short of his car, forgetting to mention why he was in a hurry, "Sorry Brady, but Penny's been kidnapped and Bolt's missing. I can't really say anymore and I have to see if I can find them."

Richard climbed into his car and sped off into town. Brady stood there in shock, he couldn't believe his best friend had been kidnapped, but he knew exactly by who.


	6. Super Rhino

Chapter 6: Super Rhino

"You know there is an old saying," Calico snickered as her approached a bubbling pool of lava which mainly illuminated the large domed room of his new facility in Arizona. "This saying says, 'Every dog has his day'. But on the contrary, this day belongs to Doctor Calico."

Calico laughed with his cat who bared a striking resemblance to Hairballs, as he watched a helpless teenage girl and her dog being lowered into the pool. Penny struggled with all her might to break free of the tube that was holding both of them, to no avail. She attempted to shout "Help", which was muffled by the muzzle she and Bolt were wearing. Calico merely chuckled some more, "Oh no, there will be no help. Not this time. For no man nor dog could ever penetrate my superior defenses."

Calico continued to laugh manically as the two continued their descent. Bolt's mind raced furiously, he had to find a way to save Penny. But there was no chance, even though the styrofoam had worn off, he still couldn't risk using his powers this close to Penny, and worse, even if he could, there was nowhere to go. It would simply speed up their fall. They were both trapped.

Meanwhile, back in Richard's lab, Richard watched in horror through the minuscule tracking device and camera he had planted in Bolt's collar. Calico was executing his daughter! "Calico, you sick and twisted monster!" he shouted at the screen, then sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry Penny. I can't save you, but I think I know who can."

Richard turned to his brown hamster who was exercising in his plastic ball in front of a small TV. He hesitated for a moment as he removed Rhino from his ball, he wondered if it was the smartest thing to do. It wasn't. But there were no other options, and Richard had faith in his improved animal enhancement process. So he placed his hamster in the testing chamber, slipped into his hazmat suit, and powered up his machine. He double checked to make sure the settings on all the monitors were exactly the same as those used on Bolt, only lower so he wouldn't vaporize him. He also had been able to add a few extra features which included faster movement and reflexes, and even speech to an extent. Richard didn't like testing on animals, especially those as small as Rhino, but there were no other options. Once all the systems showed green, he pulled down on the activation lever and began the process, many of the screens showed the effects on his body similar to the images seen during Bolt's transformation.

Once the procedure had completed, Richard hastily began shutting down the system and carefully opened the chamber. The hyperactive hamster was bouncing in place saying, "Let it begin, let it begin, let it BEGIN!"

Richard smiled, his speech enhancements worked. "All right Rhino," he began. "You what to do? Where to go?"

Rhino smiled back, "I figure it out," he responded proudly.

"This isn't some kind of practice, you know. This is real. Penny and Bolt are _really_ in danger and you're the only one who can save them."

"I know, I know, don't worry. Arizona right? I'll the baddies' butts kicked and Penny and Bolt back before you know it."

"I'm counting on it. Now be careful, we still don't know how these powers will affect you, so again, be careful."

"Careful is my middle name," exclaimed Rhino, who had now made his way out of the chamber and into his new plexiglas ball which was loaded in a pressurized cannon.

The hatch on the cannon closed and Rhino was fired out towards Arizona. Richard removed his hazmat helmet, pondering the fact he had just sent a hamster to save his daughter. But he had to believe in Rhino's abilities, it was all he could do.

Calico walked away from his new supercomputer which showed his next targets all over the world, and approached the edge of his balcony from which he watched Penny and Bolt lower more and more towards the large pool of molten rock. "Nothing will be able to stop me with you two out of the picture," Calico gloated and continued to laugh until there was a large crash just outside.

Calico instantly pulled out his radio and snarled, "What was that? What just happened out there? Commander come in!"

"Sir some sort of...meteor just crashed down outside, I've sent two regiments to investigate," the commander replied.

"Good, I want nothing interfering with our plans."

"Understood sir."

The doctor turned back to his hostages, "You know it's funny, for a moment there I thought it was a rescue attempt. But it would be a futile effort..."

Suddenly there was a second explosion soon followed by the screams of the unfortunate henchmen positioned outside. A line of bullets pounded against the metal wall, then a dent of a car, then a helicopter, then a man, then the screaming stopped. There was a light tapping on the front door. Calico was stunned, "What? Who could possibly be..."

Suddenly a large circle cut through the steel wall as if by a giant blow torch. The wall toppled over revealing the burning remains of the outer defenses. Penny chuckled to herself at the sight, but the question remained, _Who?_ A small image appeared at the entrance, Penny squinted and saw their hero, a_ hamster_? The hamster giggled to himself, "I did that with my eyeballs."

Calico chuckled to himself. _That's what Richard sends to save his daughter? How pathetic,_ he thought ignoring the smoldering remains of his former outer defenses. "So hamster, who are you?"

"The name," Rhino responded. "is Rhino."

Calico was unamused, "Rhino...the hamster?"

Rhino sighed, "Okay, I know what you're thinking, but come on. My ancestry isn't all hamster, I'm one-sixteenth wolf, with a little wolverine in there some..."

"You know, I'm sure it's a very captivating story but we're done here," Calico cut off, and gestured to his men who immediately fired all guns and rockets on the rodent.

Rhino was ready, he leaped away the speeding bullets, mounted himself perfectly on one of the rockets, and turned it away towards the ranks of Calico's men, destroying the rows of parked cars with his enhanced laser eyes, sending the men in black flying in all directions. Then he turned towards the now rapidly descending Penny and Bolt and carefully aimed the needle point at the rope, swiftly cutting through it. Rhino dismounted, leaving the missile to hurl into the supercomputer, and managed to catch the tube holding the two. He held it high as if it were a trophy.

Calico slowly pulled himself from the wreckage of his balcony and glared at his former hostages and growled, "You...you think this is over, well it is far from over. I will amasser a larger, more deadly, destructive, unbeatable army of indestructible..."

Rhino simply stared at and said, "You know, I'm sure it's a very captivating story but we're done here." Rhino dipped his head, then threw it forward with a mighty earth-shocking squeak, sending all of the wreckage and lava of the pool flying towards the remains of the balcony.

"Oh my..." was all Calico had time to say as the lava consumed him. Penny looked away when it hit and only looked back when she was sure it was over. Calico and his cat were scalded but alive. "I...I didn't know he could do that."

Well, know you know," Rhino responded, turning back to Penny and Bolt. "You guys alright?"

Penny smiled and nuzzled the hamster, "We are now. You did it Rhino, you..."

"Saved you from certain death, I know, I know. It's what I do."

Penny's smile faded, "Wait a minute, you...you're talking to me?"

"Oh yeah, your dad gave me all these new powers, it's awesome. No, it's beyond awesome, it's...it's..."

"Okay that's very nice," Bolt cut in. "But uh...how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Oh, your dad sent somebody in a helicopter, he'll be here in a bit. Now if you would excuse me, I have an urgent matter to attend to," Rhino said, he turned towards a small elevator and saluted them as it ascended.

"Wait, what about..." Penny started as her gaze returned to the balcony. She sighed when she saw Calico was no longer present. "Calico. Great, great job hamster, free us but forget about the bad guy. Oh well, come on Bolt." She stroked her companion and headed outside at the sound of chopper blades.


	7. Reunion

Chapter 7: Reunion

Penny and Bolt entered their home town the same way they had entered when they returned from Los Angeles, and similar to that time everyone asked where they had been. Penny said that she and her father had gone and visited some relatives who were staying just outside of town and she decided to walk part of the way home. And just like last time Brady greeted them as they returned, only this time it wasn't a broad grin on his face, it was a mixed expression of panic, relief, and worry. "Penny!" he shouted as he ran up towards them. Bolt growled once again but Penny gestured him away and casually greeted him. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? Your dad said you were kidnapped, I was so worried about..."

Brady trailed off, expecting an interruption from Penny. But she knew this time that he meant it, not by his tone but by his expression. Penny had a way of knowing what people (especially Bolt) felt like by their expressions, she could read many people like a book. She even thought she could talk to Bolt sometimes by his facial expressions, and now Penny knew that Brady was really worried about her. It touched her that he learned how to think about someone else. "Yes?" Penny said. "You were worried about me?"

Brady's eyes widened, "You...believe me?"

Penny smiled, "Yeah. Wait, did you tell anyone else I was kidnapped?"

"No, I didn't want to worry anyone else."

"Good," Penny responded and continued walking towards her house.

As they passed Joe's pet store, Richard suddenly ran out of the front door with an expression similar to Brady's. Penny ran towards him and both embraced for at least minute. "Oh Penny," Richard finally said. "I was so worried, but I see Rhino took care of things." He looked around for a moment. "Where is he anyway?"

"He said he had an 'urgent matter to attend to'" Penny shrugged.

"Great. What about Calico?"

"Obviously the matter was more important than him."

Richard sighed heavily as Penny did, "Oh well, at least your safe." He hugged his daughter once again, this time noticing the teenage boy standing nearby. "Oh um...you didn't tell anyone that..."

"No dad," Penny interrupted. "I've made sure that he won't tell anyone about what's happened."

Richard looked at his daughter sternly, "You mean _you_ told him?"

Penny sighed again, "Yeah dad. But he's changed, I can trust now."

"_Now_?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, look he's a nice kid, and we can trust him. Trust me, daddy."

Richard sighed yet again, he did trust Penny. It was Brady he wasn't so sure about. But Penny had a good heart and he knew she always made the right choices. "Alright sweetie, as long as Calico doesn't give any trouble for a while I think we'll be fine. Now it's Sunday night, better get ready for school." Penny groaned at and stared at her father with the teenager "really?" look. Richard chuckled, "I'm kidding, if you're too tired that's fine, you don't have to go tomorrow."

Penny sighed in relief, she was exhausted and needed to rest after something like that. Calico wouldn't be a problem for some time but he would be back, with a greater vengeance than ever. He would.


	8. Time Passes

Chapter 8: Time Passes

Over the course of the following half-year, things remained silent in Silverlake. Richard continued his normal job, quite pleased at how his new and improved enhancement formula and experimented with it when he found the time. Rumors that Penny and Brady were dating were spreading through the school, even though they both denied it, some were still suspicious. Penny sometimes would have to literally hold Bolt back if a kid was taunting them for too long, Bolt's weapon against children weren't his powers, but his antagonizing. All he needed to do was look at someone and they would cease any poking fun of Penny and Brady hanging out together. Otherwise, the two were proceeding with their lives as normal, only occasionally checking the news or internet for Calico's whereabouts, neither were successful. After a while, Penny had decided to adopt Rhino as well, warning him as she had with Bolt, to keep his power usage to a small minimum if at all. By the end of the school year, all rumors about Penny and Brady had ceased, and the two had finished their year of seventh grade. For the first time, both Penny and Brady had someone from school to hang with over the summer.

When the month of July came, Brady's family had planned a trip to Acadia National Park, Maine. Though, they accidently had reserved two cottages, but Brady saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with Penny, and invited them to join them on the vacation. Having a two week break from his job, Richard accepted as did Penny. However, Bolt was still unsure about the friendship, he was still convinced Brady was up to something and that he was out to get him, even if Penny trusted him. He was all the more concerned when he heard the news. "We're What!" Bolt exclaimed, sitting on the bed with Mittens as Penny was packing her bags.

"You heard me," Mittens responded. "They invited us on a vacation, now I think it's nice, and you should see it as a nice getaway and NOT as some sort of trap."

"But Mittens, he tried to kill me! How do I know he's not trying to do it again?"

"Because, Penny trusts him. Haven't you seen how happy he's made Penny over the past few months? Taking her out to the movies, doing their homework together, they're best friends! And yes he tried to get rid of you but that was before when he was...well, different. But now, he apologized, and Penny trusts him Bolt. You should too."

Bolt sighed, normally he trusted anyone Penny did. But not this time, he couldn't trust Brady after what he tried to do to him. He was amazed that Penny did at all, he thought she loved him and cared about him. Though he knew she still did (nothing would ever change that), Bolt couldn't see why Penny was coming anywhere near him. "I just don't understand why she's trusting this boy all of a sudden," he responded. "Not more than two days after..."

"Bolt, again, that's the past. He's changed now," Mittens interrupted. "He's a better person, thanks to Penny."

"How can I now that for sure?" Bolt asked

"You can trust Penny," Mittens said, nuzzling him as she passed. "And you can trust me."

Mittens jumped down from the bed and exited the room. Bolt sighed again, he did trust Mittens, he had grown as close to her as Penny had to Brady. But he still wasn't sure about him, he was just as concerned about Penny as he was himself. He trusted both Penny and Mittens, and they trusted Brady. He had to make his decision. Penny had just finished packing her things and noticed Bolt looking down. She sat down next to him and pulled him into her lap. "It's okay Bolty, you get to come along. So do Mittens and Rhino," she reassured him. Then it dawned on her. "Oh, is it still about Brady? It's okay, you can trust him. I know his past is a little shaky, but that's behind us. He's a new kid. Trust me."

That was it. Even though he wasn't sure still, he had to trust Penny and Mittens, and, therefore, trust Brady, he didn't like it, but Penny always knew what she was doing. "Okay Penny," Bolt said, though Penny couldn't understand. "I trust you."

Bolt nestled into Penny, who smiled and stroked him, "Yeah, you're my good boy." Penny kissed him on the head and finished packing.

He was still unsure, but if Penny was happy..."Hey Bolt!" Rhino said as he rolled in the room in his new ball. Bolt was also unsure about the hyperactive hamster that Penny had adopted, he respected him for saving his and Penny's lives, but thought he was a little too...well, hyper. But Bolt still accepted him into the family, knowing he was a huge inspiration to the small rodent. "Hey, are you as stoked about this trip as I am?"

Bolt sighed, _at least he didn't say "awesome"._ "Uh yeah, sure Rhino. It sounds great."

"It sounds awesome!" he giggled.

Bolt sighed again, "Right."

"Penny!" Richard called from downstairs. "We have to be at the airport in fifteen minutes. Are you done packing?"

"Yeah dad, I'll be right down!" Penny responded. She placed Rhino in his cage and carried it and her suitcase downstairs.

The first day in Maine was, to Penny, simply perfect. She and the two families went hiking up to a place called Bubble Rock. A giant boulder precariously perched on the edge of a cliff, then spent the remainder of the day at the beach. Meanwhile, since pets were not allowed in either of these places, Bolt, Mittens and Rhino remained at the cottage which was rented for Richard and Penny, on a hill, looking over a small salt water lake which connected to the ocean. Though they were allowed outside into a fenced area, Bolt spent most of the day inside lying down, depressed that something could be happening to Penny and he wouldn't be there to save her. It was mid afternoon when Mittens finally decided to console Bolt. She approached and lied down next to him, "Hey Bolt, you want to go outside?"

Bolt shook his head somberly. "Oh, then you want to watch TV? I finally tore Rhino away from..." Bolt shook his head again before she could finish. Mittens huffed, "Well, you want to do something other than lie around all day? It's not gonna help Penny in any way!"

Bolt lifted his head at her outburst, "Mittens, I know it's not going to help anything. It's just...I want Penny to be safe."

Mittens cooled down, "Oh Bolt, don't worry, she's fine. She's with family and friends, and besides, what are the odds that Calico would go after her the one time you're not with her?"

"It could still happen," Bolt said, laying his head back on the floor.

Mittens cuddled up to him, "She'll be okay Bolt, I promise. Now come on you need some fresh air."

Mittens got up and walked towards the door, Bolt pulled himself up, stretched, and followed. He had always trusted that Mittens knew what was best, despite her time with Calico. But it was the reason he trusted Brady now, just because of her past was shaky didn't mean she was bad. Bolt entered the outer pen which the animals were allowed to roam in. "Not a lot of space here, is there?" Bolt noted.

Mittens smiled, "Yeah, well there's plenty out there." she gestured to a small gap in the fence.

Bolt gasped, "But, we can't leave!"

"Sure we can. See the gap?"

"Yes, but it's getting late," Bolt looked over at the sun which had started touch the horizon. "What if Penny comes back and we're not here? She'll be worried sick, and won't be able to go outside without a leash ever! Plus she'll hate herself for letting me escape, I can't do that."

"Don't worry, her dad said she wouldn't be coming back until Nine or so. We have plenty of time. Besides, we're just going for a stroll."

Bolt looked back at the house, "Fine. But just a short one."

"We'll be back before they even realize we left." With that Mittens leaped onto the fence and threw herself over. "This gap should be big enough if you dig a little more."

Bolt obeyed but managed to jump over with his enhanced legs, and the two walked towards the road.


	9. New Relationships

Chapter 9: New Relationships

Mittens took Bolt around the outskirts of the small town they were staying in. Though she was as unfamiliar with the environment as Bolt was, the two still enjoyed themselves as they passed a large variety of stores and shops. Some small eateries, at which Mittens taught Bolt the art of begging, and the "Dog Face". They also passed an animal shelter, bringing back distinct memories of the one Bolt had liberated. Different memories came back for Mittens. As they continued, Bolt pondered his feelings for the black and white cat, he saw her as just a friend, but she was so much closer than that. He didn't think he could actually love her, for two reasons. One: A cat and a dog, reason enough. Two: His heart belonged to Mindy. The German Shepherd who helped him to Los Angeles and had won his heart. But he would probably never see her again, and Mittens was just as close. Although he saw Mittens like he saw Penny, like a sister. And Mittens treated him with love and affection like Penny did. Finally, Bolt found the courage to speak up, "Mittens?"

"Yeah?" she responded.

"Uh..." he hesitated. "Well, do you...love..me?"

Mittens stopped in her tracks. "Wha...what?"

"I said: Do you love me?" Bolt repeated.

Mittens was startled by his sudden question, then sighed, "Yes, but in a family sort of way. I still remember that you love Mindy. I won't get in the way of that."

"Yeah, but I won't ever see her again. I don't want another...um, mate, I just want to know if you actually love me or not."

"Bolt," Mittens said, leaning up against him. "I do love you, but just as family. Maybe even a little more, but that's it."

Bolt smiled, "That's all I needed to know." he responded as he and Mittens continued down the road, side by side. "Now, about Brady..."

"You _still_ don't trust him?" Mittens interrupted.

"No, I do. Because Penny trusts him, and you do too." Bolt said.

Mittens smiled, "Exactly. And, think about how happy he makes her, they're best friends. She's changed him, he's nicer now."

Bolt smirked, Penny was so loving, she could change anyone. "I know, I'm not sure if I completely trust him, but I trust Penny knows what she's doing. Now it's getting late, we should probably be getting back before Penny finds out we're gone."

"Okay, but I just want to see what Brady's cottage looks like, it's straight ahead."

Bolt and Mittens walked up the sidewalk to where Brady's cottage was. It was a small, single-story house on a paved road which led to a small boat launch. Bolt sniffed the air, he loved exploring new areas with his nose, there were so many new smells to learn. He was fascinated with it, until he picked a familiar scent. He jumped, grabbed Mittens, and dove for a nearby bush. "What the heck Bolt? What is it?" Mittens shouted.

"Shh, be quiet," Bolt urged, he peaked out from the bush. His nose was right, he saw Penny walking up to the house with Brady. "We can't let her see us. We have to head back as soon as..." Bolt froze.

"As soon as what?" Mittens asked, then followed Bolt's gaze. They saw something neither of them could have seen coming.

Outside Brady's cottage, Penny and Brady walked up together. They stopped just outside the door and looked at each other for a moment. "Well," Brady finally said. "Perfect day, huh?"

"I guess," Penny responded, reminiscing the day's events. After the hike, they spent a little less than half the day at the beach, where Brady demonstrated his sensitivity more than ever, he didn't stop to show off to anyone, or text someone, although he did stop once to buy a small, crying boy a new ice cream cone as he dropped the first. It was actually a little after that when Penny made her decision.

Brady smiled and continued, "Made even more perfect by you being with us."

Penny blushed slightly. "Thanks Brady, for everything."

"Any time," Brady turned to go inside.

"Wait," Penny said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back out. "Not just for today, for everything." Brady stared at her blankly. "You know, for changing, becoming less selfish, caring about others."

Brady smiled again, "Thank you for giving me a second chance, I never would have done it without you." He responded and turned to go inside again. Penny pulled him back out again by the hand. "What now?" he said, jokingly.

Penny looked him straight in the eye and said, "Brady, you're kind, caring, and sensitive, and that's what I like about you."

Brady looked at her, confused. "Penny, what are you…" he started. Then, Penny did something both of them thought she would never do. She grabbed Brady's chin and pulled his face into hers. Brady's heart skipped a beat as their lips met. The two just stood there as Penny kissed her once hated enemy. Then, Brady finally broke away and stared back at Penny in complete bewilderment. A faint smile came across Penny's face as Brady finally said, "P-P Penny, I…I, you…"

Penny held up her hand to stop him, "Brady," she began. "Listen, when you **wanted** my love, when you tried to get it, you didn't. Not because you were insensitive, well partially, but because you were someone you aren't. But now, you don't act like that, you act like who you are. That's why… I...it turns out I really like you for who you are."

Brady's eyes widened, he had gotten Penny without even trying. He stammered for a moment, trying to get all the facts into his head before turning back to Penny. "Are...are you sure? Because, you said I just needed a friend, and I didn't want to **pull** you into this I just ..." he stuttered.

Penny smiled, placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "No, you didn't pull me into it, it's my own choice. I actually want you, Brady, for who you are. If you really want me to like you, just be who you are."

After a few moments, Brady also smiled. "I should've tried this a long time ago," he joked. Penny giggled, then pulled Brady towards herself and kissed him again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck so he couldn't pull away. But he didn't want to. This time, he embraced her back, putting his hands around her hips as their lips pressed against each other. Penny stroked the back of his head and lifted her left leg onto the toes as the two continued their passionate kiss, and Brady rubbed up and down on her back, pulling her as close as she could come, as Bolt simply watched in complete shock.


	10. Uncertainty

Chapter 10: Uncertainty

Mittens turned to Bolt as they watched, his mouth was hanging open. "Ah Bolt? Bolt I know what you're thinking, but..."

"No Mittens, you probably don't know." Bolt responded calmly. "I'm fine really. Penny knows what she's doing with this."

Mittens was surprised at this, "Uh...you sure? You're actually okay with this?"

"Yes, I trust you and Penny that he's alright. Now let's go." Bolt said, and quickly turned to leave.

Mittens sensed he wasn't entirely sure, but he wasn't worried either. That was good enough. Bolt, however, was still worried that this boy was still planning something, even if everyone else trusted him. He didn't ponder it for too long, he was fine as long as Penny was happy and safe. Once they arrived back at the cottage, they saw Rhino waiting in the doorway, "Hey, how'd you get out of that cage I made you?" Mittens asked.

Rhino chuckled, "Nice to see you too. Oh please, nothing can contain me now that I'm SUPERFIED!"

Bolt and Mittens nearly turned red at how hard they were holding back their laughter. Rhino didn't notice, "Come on in! You're just in time for The Clone Wars! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Mittens huffed, she had grown tired of the science fiction Rhino had come to love, "I thought they were done for the summer."

"Oh yeah, but they're still awesome! No, they're beyond awesome, they're like me! They're be-..."

"Don't say it!" Bolt and Mittens cried out in unison.

Rhino jumped back, "Alright, alright, alright! Well come on, then."

Rhino rolled back inside, Bolt gestured to Mittens, "Come on, let's humor him." The duo walked inside to join him, watching Obi-Wan Kenobi and the clone troopers attempt to liberate a small village on Ryloth.

After what seemed like almost an eternity, Brady finally broke away and stared at Penny. She smiled, "What?"

Brady sighed, "Well, are you sure about this? Because of what happened before, I don't know if this will work."

"I'm not sure either," Penny responded immediately. "But there's only one way to make sure. It's worth a try, and if it doesn't work, we can just go back to being friends. Okay?"

"Penny, I don't know if it works like that..." Brady started.

Penny then brought her lips into his once more, then said, "Maybe it doesn't, but we can at least see. Okay?" Brady nodded. "Okay, see you tomorrow then?"

"Uh...yeah, yes I will. See you then." Brady responded, waved, then entered his temporary home.

Once he closed the door, he leaned his back against it and slowly slid down in pure bliss. Penny was his girlfriend, all he had to do was be himself. But the feeling wasn't all bliss, some parts were sadness and regret, from the fact that the next day, he would have to lead his best friend, now girlfriend, into a trap.


	11. Treachery

Chapter 11: Treachery

"Hey Brady?" Penny said as she leaned up against her new boyfriend.

"Hmm?" he responded, moving closer.

"You know? I love you." Penny smiled, kissing him gently.

Brady smiled back and ran his fingers through her fiery red hair. He loved the feeling of her soft lips on his. He had imagined for nearly a year. Brady broke off and joked, "Yeah, I know that Penny, this is the fifth time you've told me today."

"Fourth time," Penny said sharply. "The time in the car, I was talking to Bolt."

"Of course you were," he responded, putting his arm around her back, lightly stroking it.

Penny warmed up also as the couple watched the sun begin merge with the horizon on the deck of a restaurant they had just eaten at. Penny wrapped her arms around his torso and closed her eyes, she wanted this moment to last in case Brady was right and this relationship wouldn't last, she wanted to cherish it as much as possible. Brady wanted to do the same, he just wished his life could just be normal and he could have a normal girlfriend. But it was too late for that, he had already agreed to bring Penny to the base by 8:00. He glanced at his watch, it read 6:57. He had at least an hour to be with Penny for one last time. The thought nearly made him cry, but he had to make it last. "What?" Penny inquired.

Brady sighed, "Nothing, just thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing, it's not important," he answered, keeping his eyes on the horizon.

Penny turned his head in her direction. "Brady I know something's wrong, just say it." Penny continued to nudge him, she was sure something was wrong, she could read people like books by their expressions. She did it most frequently with Bolt. She placed her hand on his cheek. "Come on, you can tell me, I can help."

Brady sighed again, "It's nothing, just a little...uncertainty. That's all, I'm fine."

Penny kissed him once more, "Okay, we still have an hour or two before we have to go home, wanna take a walk up the beach?"

Brady looked off in the direction she was pointing to, it lead to the base. "Uh...uh sure. I'd like that." The two walked down the stairs off the deck which was also the exit. Penny noticed Bolt was waiting at the bottom. She knelt down and kissed him on the head, "Bolt, you go back with dad, we're going to take a walk. Be back later."

Bolt's head and tail drooped at the news, "Oh it's okay, I'll be back eventually, we'll be fine, and so will you." She said, stroking him. They watched as Bolt ran back up to the car with Mittens, Rhino, and Richard. "Be back later, daddy!" Penny called back to him.

"Okay sweetie. Be careful!" Richard responded, waving.

The couple walked down the beach which mainly lead to a wooded area. Penny had her arms wrapped around Brady's, Brady kissed her on the head and tried to make light conversation so Penny wouldn't sense his anxiety. "You know? You're so beautiful. You know that?"

Penny blushed, "Oh stop it."

It wasn't the first time she heard it. Though she always modestly denied it, almost all of the girls (and even some of the boys) of her grade agreed Penny was the most beautiful girl in at least the grade. The two remained relatively silent for the rest of the walk, just enjoying each other's company. Brady wished it could last forever, but sadly, the time came. And Penny and Brady reached the wooded area with the hidden building inside. "Hey, Penny, could we...look over here for a second? I want to check something out" he asked, pointing to a particularly heavily wooded section.

"Okay but not too long. It's getting dark." Penny responded.

"Don't worry it'll be quick, I promise" Brady answered, with great regret. He just wished he didn't have to do this. _I don't have to,_ he thought. _I can just turn back right now. NO! I can't he'll kill me otherwise._ Brady glanced at his watch, 7:55. It was early, but he could tell they were already waiting. "Come on just a little further."

"Brady, I don't know about this," Penny noted. Brady could sense her worry.

"It's alright, come on, just little further, please? Trust me." _Trust me._ He wished he hadn't said that. If this worked, Penny would be captured because she trusted him. She trusted the boy who betrayed her. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut, it grew with each step he took towards the trap, clutching Penny's hand.

"Brady, I _really_ don't feel safe..."

"You SHOULDN'T!" a large male voice said out of nowhere.

Penny screamed as a large man in black jumped out from behind a tree and placed his arm around Penny's throat. Penny struggled with all her strength, but the man had a firm grip on her. As she struggled, she could see other men in black suits emerge from the bushes, all but one large and muscular, the one in the middle was rather skinny. She ceased struggling to get a better look and noticed that the left eye was...no, was it? Yes, it was green with a long vertical pupil. "Calico!" Penny shouted, muffled by the gloved hand covering half of her head.

"Oh, you _do_ remember, how lovely," he snickered, gesturing to the rest of his men to open the entry way.

Suddenly, Penny remembered. "BRADY! Brady get out of..." she tried to shout, but it was still muffled by the henchman's hand.

Then she stiffened up and gasped, Brady was standing next to Calico. What was he doing? _Why isn't he getting out of here? Why hasn't Calico captured him too?_ Suddenly it hit her. The henchmen hadn't captured him, he insisted on coming into this area, had he lead her into this? _No_, Penny didn't want to believe it. Right before she was taking down the steps in the ground, Brady slowly raised his hand. "Wait," he said calmly. "Uncover her mouth."

The man obeyed and Penny instantly shouted, "Brady what's going on? What are you doing?"

"Capturing YOU! What does it look like?"

Penny was in shock, after all that? "No, no...why? Why would you?"

He chuckled, "Well, two reasons. First, Calico's research here is going to change the world, for the better." _No! _Penny's thought's screamed. _Not for the better, for WORSE! Why don't you see that, after everything I told you! _"Second, you didn't even want to give me a chance when I wanted to go out with you! And then you threw me to the ground! You love that stupid mutt more than anything, you're not going to give anyone a chance!"

Penny was shocked, she didn't know where to begin ranting, "Wha...I...I already told you! Bolt had nothing to do with it! It was just YOU! And I _did _give a chance! Remember? You apologized and I forgave you, you became my friend and I liked you...NO! _Loved_ you for who you are!"

Brady simply laughed evilly, "Oh _please_! You honestly think I would do some instant one-eighty in my personality? That's sad! I thought you smart! And to think I thought this wouldn't work. I only apologized so I could get close to you and not look like a jerk."

Penny's eyes began to water as Calico merely gestured for her to be taken away, "Brady, BRADY please! You don't have to do this! You're a good person, I know you are!"

Brady sighed as Penny's calls grew more and more distant. Calico snickered once more, "Well done, my agent. Now come along, we don't want to keep our guest waiting too long, nor do we want to keep Richard worried about his lucky Penny."

He laughed manically as he went inside. Brady pretended to chuckle, but he was more worried than glad. He had already told his parents he was going to be home late (later than they thought), but he was wondering if he made the right decision. He would soon find out, the hard way.


	12. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 12: Secrets Revealed

"Is the camera ready?" Calico inquired, approaching recording room.

"Yes sir," Wilson, Calico's servant, responded. "We have the professor's email address, so it can be sent as soon as your done."

"Excellent, I'm ready for my close-up," he chuckled to himself. "Begin recording."

Wilson started the camera and gave Calico a thumbs up. "Hello my dear Richard. How are you? It's been such a long time. But allow me to get to the reason you have received this is because I would once again like to ask you for the encryption key for your DNA enhancement process! And also, how it can work on humans. Now I understand how so incredibly defiant you are, so let me put it to you this way. Your refusal..." Calico took a step back to reveal Penny dangling behind him. "would be unwise."

Penny realized what Calico was doing just as a guard on a high platform placed a rope around her mouth. "DADDY! Daddy don't..." the rest was muffled.

"You have twenty-four hours to comply. Bring the dog, not the authorities. You don't have to you know," Calico gestured for the video to end. "After all, it's only a penny."

Another thumbs up came the Wilson, "Well done sir. I'll get it to the professor immediately."

Calico then walked over to Penny, "Well done indeed, my dear. You should consider acting." Penny growled and kicked him in the shins. Calico yelped and nearly knocked his cat off his shoulder. "Grr, I'm going to enjoy killing you if necessary. TAKE HER AWAY!"

The guards grabbed Penny, untied her and escorted her down back to her holding cell. Brady watched as Calico approached. "You know, I going to make sure our guest is...comfortable."

He gulped as Calico raised an eyebrow, "Very well, but do hurry back. You wouldn't want to miss out on any of the fun."

Brady smirked, "Of course, I'll be back."

He followed the guards who were escorting the struggling girl back to the detention area. They arrived at the door, the men entered the security code and entered the cell, it was small, with nothing but a sink and a bed with restraints, one over the chest, and one over the waist. Which the guards used to lock Penny into place. By now she had stopped trying to struggle and accepted the fact that it was over. Once fully locked in the guards turned to leave and jumped, not having realized that Brady was right behind them. "Sorry, wait by the door, I'll be right out."

The two men shrugged and went out by the doorway. Tears filled Penny's eyes again, "Brady...how could you?"

Hearing that was like a knife thrust into his heart. But he remained calm, "Simple, you didn't give me a chance before so I figured this was the proper way to repay you."

"I DID..."

He simply placed his hand over her mouth, "But thanks for the good times."

And with that he lowered his face onto hers and pretended to run his tongue up her face. Penny winced and tried to look away, while the two guards who were watching started to laugh sickly. And when Brady was sure they couldn't see, he slid a paperclip from his mouth into Penny's. She took it in her teeth, feeling the familiar taste of his saliva on it, but was still confused by it. Brady retracted, kissed Penny's ear and whispered, "Don't choke on it."

He smiled, winked, and left the room placing something on the inside of the door before closing it. Different thoughts ran through Penny's head, why had he done this? Did he mean what he said before? Is he trying to help her escape? Penny set them aside for know and focused on her objective. She carefully aimed her mouth and spit the paperclip onto her belly. It slowly slid off and into her palm, she scanned around the locks and found a small opening. Carefully, she poked an end of the clip into it and moved it around, not really knowing what she was doing. The lock clicked open and Penny did the same with the upper lock. Once free, she did a quick check of the room to ensure there were no cameras watching her. It was clear, then she saw Brady's note on the door, it read:

_Penny,_

_sorry about all this, to open the door all you need to is hack the control pad. I loosened the back for you, so all you need to do is pull, then just stab the red area with the paperclip and it should open right up. Then meet me down the hall to the left, then turn right and I'll explain everything._

_Love, Brady_

She sighed, "Why are you helping me Brady?"

She would have to find out later, she removed the back of the panel on the door and did as Brady instructed. Indeed, the door clicked open and she, again, double-checked for cameras, none were pointing at her at the time. Penny quietly jogged down the hall to the left, then the right, where she peaked around the corner and, sure enough, there he was, just standing and waiting for her. She tip-toed up behind him, and he slowly turned, "Penn?"

She then punched him as hard as she could in the face, narrowly missing his nose. The impact along with surprise sent him stumbling back into a utility closet, she came in behind him and closed the door. "WHAT THE FRICK, BRADY?"

Brady put one hand on the place where Penny hit him, hoping it wouldn't leave a mark, "Penny, please listen to me..."

"Why should I?" Penny roared.

"I helped you out of that cell, didn't I?"

Penny relaxed and sat down next to him in the closet, "Okay, I'm listening but it better be good."

"Okay," Brady sighed in relief. "Listen, I know Calico is trying to change the world for the worst, for _his_ way. I know that, I want to stop him. And I have an idea..."

"Wait," Penny cut in. "Why didn't you just tell me before?"

"Well...I thought it would be important that you didn't know so your capture would be convincing."

"Oh," Penny responded, then her face lit up. "Oh then you didn't mean what you said before!" Penny cried out in joy and threw her arms around him and kissed him. "I knew you were a good person, I knew it!"

"Penny, Penny wait, hold on," Brady said, lifting Penny off of him. "Penny, I wouldn't say I'm...a good person."

"I would," Penny said. "Why not, what's the matter?"

"Well, what I said before, most of it wasn't true, but the part about my apology...that was all true." A puzzled look came across her face. "The day, I went to apologize to you, the only reason I did wasn't because I felt bad, it was because I didn't want to look like a jerk in front the other kids in school. I didn't really turn at all in my personality, I didn't know how to care about anyone other than myself." Brady felt his eyes start to tear up, he quickly wiped them away before Penny could notice. "But, then you...taught me, I guess, and I became your friend and I appreciate that, I really do, but you deserve better friends than me. So, when this is over..."

"Brady," Penny cut in again. "It doesn't matter what it was like before, I know who you are, and you _are_ a good person. But..." she stopped hearing the sound of guards marching from outside. "Can we discuss this later? You said you had a plan."

"Yeah um...okay," he sighed and pulled a map from his pocket. "Okay, so. Your dad has probably gotten the message by now, so when he comes, you're going to have to be back in custody, _but,_ with the means to escape. That paperclip should do it, Calico's not that bright that way. Any who..." Penny giggled. "Okay, and once your free, you'll call on Bolt and take out as many henchmen and do as much damage to his computer as you can, it contains all his data for his plans, and your dad's info is the missing piece. So..."

"Wait," Penny interrupted once more. "What if, while we're fighting, Calico threatens to kill my dad? Or me?"

Brady saw the worry in her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, you're too smart for him to kill you, and if you tell your dad to keep working, Calico won't be able to afford to kill him. Now, while all this is going on, I'll be in the power generator room planting the explosives..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, just a couple things. First, where are you going to get the explosives?"

"This place is rigged with them, you'd be surprised."

"Okay, second, won't Calico or his men notice you gone or setting the explosives?"

Brady chuckled, "They'll be too busy dealing with you and Bolt, they won't have time to notice me. Don't worry Penny, this is kid's play compared to what you and Bolt have done before."

Penny thought and, indeed, it was a pale comparison to traveling from city to city, trying to outrun helicopters and motorbikes, and infiltrating secret bases. Remembering that trip brought back to Penny memories of Highton, Larry and Kate, and Bolt being a killing..._NO!_ Stop, it was over. The plan was risky, there was a good chance they could all be killed. Nothing unusual, "Brady are you sure?"

"No," he responded, soberly. "Want to try it?"

They didn't have much choice, She couldn't allow her father to give Calico the encryption key, "Alright, even though it's obvious what I have to lose, we don't have much choice. But..." Penny grabbed Brady's hand as he was preparing to leave. "Just...be careful."

She kissed him on the cheek, "I...I will. Come on, here, put these cuffs on in case anyone sees."

She obeyed, and Brady escorted her back to her cell, they both wished there was another way they could know whether the plan would work or not. But for some reason it would always be the hard way.


	13. A Plan in Action

Chapter 13: A Plan in action

The guards, led by Wilson, escorted Penny up to her position in the center of the base, fully visible from the main computer where Richard would be stationed, entering the encryption key. She was intrigued by the entire set up. It was a circular room, similar to the one in Arizona, only the main computer was in the center of the room below where she would be suspended, with trenches full of henchmen even lower. And a separate small stand with a smaller computer for Richard. She was starting to wander slightly until one of the guards punched her harshly and ordered her to keep moving. As she was tied into place, one of the guards activated his electroglove and drove it into Penny's back. She cried out in pain at the sudden shock, figuring the guard had something special against her like the rest. "Where's your mutt now?" he sneered.

Brady couldn't take it, "Hey, stop STOP!"

Wilson and the others shot him a quizzical look. "Is there a problem?" Wilson inquired in his thick British accent.

Brady took a step back. "Uhh…" he stuttered. "Just…just that…maybe you shouldn't be so rough, b-because the professor may not do what we want if she's in bad shape."

"What a shrewd of observation my boy!" an eerie voice rang out. "Though it may not matter, ease off men. Richard will want his lucky penny nice and shiny."

Calico snickered as Penny scoffed. She was growing tired of him relating her name to the actual coin. It was the only time anyone had made fun of her name. Though she worried as the ropes tightened that a mere paper clip wouldn't exactly be enough to escape. Had Brady tricked her? No. She still trusted him with her life, she knew he was a good person. She watched as Brady walked up beside Calico and wink at her, she smiled, she was still in love with him, and then she continued with the act. "You won't get away with this Calico!" she sneered.

The doctor simply laughed and scratched the cat perched on his shoulder, "You fool! I already have! By trusting your little boyfriend, you have doomed yourself, your little puppy, and the world. As soon as your father arrives…"

"I'm already here Calico!" Richard's voice came from the main entrance.

Calico spun around to see the man in a brown jacket, instead of his usual lab coat, approaching with his American white shepherd close by and a heavy henchmen escort. "Ah, Richard my old friend! I see you got my message. So glad you could attend on such short notice," he said, folding his arms.

"The pleasure's all mine, _buddy_," Richard sneered, then he turned his attention to Penny and sighed that she was okay. Bolt was also relieved she was alright, after hearing the news, he felt nothing but guilt for not being there for her. "Penny! Sweetie are you okay? Has Calico done anything to…"

"No daddy! I'm fine," Penny responded, then chuckled grimly. "I guess this explains…why I wasn't back by eleven last night."

Richard also let out a sad laugh, "Yeah, you should've brought Bolt."

"Oh, like I could've expected this…"

"You know, I'm sure it would have been a very engaging conversation, but if you want your daughter to survive this, Richard, then I suggest you get to work! Take him to his station," Calico shouted.

Richard was bustled to the secondary computer station, still in full view of Penny, dangling high above the floor. She could see him looking down at the computer, then up at her. Keeping the plan in mind she said, "Daddy?" Richard looked back up at his daughter. "Listen, just do it. Okay? It's over, he's won."

Richard sighed, "Penny please don't say that, it's going to be…"

"Enough of this stalling! _Get to work!_" Calico snarled.

"Alright alright! But you have to be patient, like I told you before this takes time," he reminded, then began to enter the encryption key.

As he did, he was surprised to actually find some of his old files still on the network. He would have thought if they were still from Penny's phone they would have been lost when Calico sold his corporation. He entered the key and began explaining the enhancement process through the computer. Penny turned her gaze over to Brady who was looking at her. She saw his mouth move, it said "Now." Then Brady vanished into a dark corridor. _Okay, and how exactly am I supposed to escape rope with a paper clip?_ Penny felt the tool for a moment, _Maybe I can cut it with…_ She fumbled around with it trying to figure something out. Then she nearly dropped, frustrated she clenched her fist. _Dang it, Brady. Couldn't you have gotten anything better?_ Then, she felt the paper clip heating up. _What?_ It became so hot she nearly dropped it a second time, then a laser emitted from it swiftly cutting through the ropes. Penny gasped from the sudden burst of heat, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

"What!" Calico peered up at his current hostage.

Penny spread out her arms, she was free! She was…falling, she had forgotten her place entirely and began to plummet towards the trenches. "_PENNY! NO!"_ Richard cried, as the two guards held him back. "NO! Bolt fetch!"

Bolt was already ahead of him. He sprinted across the room and jumped into Penny's belly and they landed with a loud thud in one of the trenches, Bolt absorbing much of the blow. Penny slowly brought herself to her feet and smirked. "Okay, that worked out well," she remarked seeing Bolt rise as well, sore, but unscathed, smiling at the fact that Penny was safe. She then shouted, "Daddy! I'm okay, keep working!"

This confused Richard, why would she want him to continue to aid Calico? Maybe it to keep them alive? Calico broke him out of his slide of thought, "Well Richard? You heard her, _back to work!_ All henchmen, attack! Bring the girl back alive! You may kill the dog."

The waves of men in black lunged towards the two. "Alright boy," Penny said to her dog, with a confident grin. "Let's…" She stopped and noticed the meter-long bar in his mouth, with a small wheel on each end. "What's this?" she asked, removing the item from his jaws.

"_Penny!_," she heard Richard call from the other end of the room, assuming it was in her hands. "It's a weapon, use it!"

Penny grinned again as she began twirling the wheel bar, "You're always prepared dad. Okay boy, let's _sic 'em!"_

_Can do, _Bolt thought to himself. _Okay Bolty, just a few severe injuries, maybe a coma or two. No deaths. _He had trained himself out of killing, he wasn't going to be a ruthless killing machine, not again. Not in front of Penny, or ever. Maybe he could make an exception for the traitor, Brady. But he wasn't going to worry about it at the moment. Not while Penny was in danger. "Still, this is going to be fun," Bolt said, as the henchmen neared. Then the battle began.


	14. Wilson

Chapter 14: Wilson

Brady nearly jumped at the sudden outburst that erupted from the room behind him. He took at deep breath and relaxed at the thought that Penny and Bolt's distraction was working. He slowly tip-toed along the complex maze of hallways that he had memorized and made his way to the power generator, again relieved that it was empty of any guards. _Good job Penny_. He looked into the bag at the explosives he had stolen from Calico. Hoping he still remembered how to set them, Brady walked across the wide, circular room with two large exhaust trenches, up the main generator. He began setting and attaching the explosives to the cylindrical structure when a familiar voice nearly made his heart leap into his throat. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that," the voice said.

Brady spun around to see Wilson standing at the door he came in, a stern, yet calm, expression on his long face. Brady sighed in relief, "You know for a second there, I thought I was in trouble," he said, quickly activating a function on his wrist band.

Suddenly, all the doors of the generator room slammed shut. Wilson merely smirked and said, "Oh don't worry. I have no intention of escaping, just preventing you from carrying out your duty."

Brady laughed out loud, "Oh _please_! You honestly think some butler will stop me?"

"As a matter of fact," Wilson responded, removing his overcoat to reveal a high-tech suit of body armor. "I do."

The smile on Brady's face vanished in an instant, he wasn't expecting this. He saw him as the polar opposite of Marcus. But apparently, he was worse, "Well, that changes things a bit. N-nice suit."

"Thank you," the servant replied. "Calico was saving it for a...special occasion. And along with the genetic enhancement I am now twice as..."

"Hold up!" Brady intervened. "Genetic enhancement? Penny's dad has entered the process already?"

Wilson laughed, "No you fool, we already had it! Remember when Calico was holding Penny back in Arizona?" Brady nodded. "Well, Calico captured her and Bolt, and he knew Richard would send a new experiment to save them, it was all part of the plan. Once that stupid little hamster or guinea pig showed up, I was at a save location and scanned his every move and power and got the genetic code from that alone. Richard's such an idiot, he practically _gave _us the encryption key to us! After I made it out, I gave it to our top scientists and they found out how it could work on humans, but they were unsure if it was stable, so Calico preferred to test it out on someone. So I volunteered to be the guinea pig."

Brady was now, sadly, starting to put the pieces together," So, if the enhancement is alright now? Why didn't Calico just use it on himself and take over the world?"

"Because he knew that stupid mutt Bolt and Penny would get in the way. So when he heard about you, he decided to use you to get close to Penny, take her here, and then draw Richard and Bolt in as well so he could execute them all at once."

Brady looked down at the floor, Calico had simply _used_ him, it was all just a setup. Why didn't he this coming? "So, you just knew of my past and figured I would easily betray Penny?"

"Ah, yes, you are beginning to get the idea. Yes, our spies serve us quite well, although we also knew that you wouldn't actually betray her, or at least I knew. Calico was originally going to let you in on the whole plan, but I insisted otherwise. I _knew_ you would get too close to her in the time you were together to sell her out that easily. I _knew_ you would devise some plan to have Penny and Bolt break out and attack as a diversion while you sabotaged the generator. Did you honestly think it would be this unguarded?" Wilson asked spreading his arms out, showing him all of the empty space of the room.

Brady was shocked, Calico had him all figured out. Calico knew everything, his plan was flawless, and now, only now, did Brady see it. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Brady said, not exactly knowing what else to say.

"No maybe not," Wilson responded, activating a control of his suit, encasing his fist in metal, making it twice as larger. "Now hold still, we just had the floor mopped."

Bolt's superbark through the mobs of henchmen back like splashes of water. He grabbed many by the neck and hurled them off into the swarms, not caring where they would land. As long as they were away from Penny, who in the mean time, was getting the hang of her new weapon. She twirled it knocking out as many as four men at a time and using her self-defense moves on the rest. She was feeling confident that they could actually win this. She occasionally checked on her father to ensure Calico hadn't done anything yet, but what confused her was that Calico was just standing there watching, _smiling_ even. She was still suspicious, but knew either way they had to get the henchmen out of the way first, so Brady could make it, then it was on to the main computer. "Come on Bolt!" Penny shouted to her companion, who had just thrown another man in black to the ground. "Let's take care of this computer thing."

Penny fought her way through the endless stream of men to the large computer generator with Bolt right behind her.

The steel fist came down on the floor once again, as hard as ever, Brady narrowly avoiding it. The shock wave sent him hurling into the side of the generator, the backpack of explosives pushed off to the side. "Ready to give up, now?" Wilson asked. "Or must I really make a mess of things?"

He activated an electroglove and grabbed Brady's shoulder. Brady grinned through the pain that now ran through almost his entire body, "You should know, since you apparently know _so_ much about me, I'm not going to give up...that easily."

"So be it," Wilson replied, activating another function of his suit, and a small machine gun popped up onto his shoulder. "Goodbye."

The gun instantly started to rotate and fire at him, he had mere seconds to evade the speeding bullets. He dove for the generator wall for cover. Wilson hastily ceased fire, and ran around to where Brady was. He opened fire once again on the boy and continued to chase him around until he lost sight of him. He tried to cut him off by going the opposite direction. Much to his surprise, he wasn't there, he looked around elsewhere but there was no sign of him, "You can't run, _or_ hide forever."

"Try me, old man," Brady's voice echoed through the room.

"I'm fifty-six," he rebutted, his voice growing stern. "Now please make this easy, Calico preferred you be present at the execution of your little girlfriend, Penny. How interesting that the person she loves lead her to her death." Brady clenched his fists, Wilson was trying to enrage him, and it was working. "You said you loved her, then why did you kill her?"

Brady couldn't take it, he screamed in rage and charged him, from the stabilizing control panel. Wilson spun around to shoot again but he was tackled before he could open fire, his heavy metal suit crashed loudly on the ground, Brady began making attempts to punch him in the face. Wilson kicked him off and scrambled to reactivate his gun, but Brady had already resumed his shelter behind the control panels. However, Wilson knew where he was, "It's over boy! Give up now and suffer an easier death," he shouted.

But Brady was ready he grabbed, the gun on the suit as Wilson leapt over the counter and stuffed a small battery into it. Wilson cried out in horror, "You fool! It'll overload!"

"Then I'd better get outta here!" Brady exclaimed.

Wilson swung his enlarged metal fist at him, but instead of hitting him, it became lodged in the multiple buttons and switches of the panel. He became frantic as he desperately tried to remove his fist from the panel as the damaged gun overloaded more and more. Brady sprinted off to a safe distance as it exploded sending him off the ground slightly and Wilson hurtling into one of the exhaust trenches landing with a loud crash. Brady smirked mischievously, _that's one less bad guy to worry about._ Suddenly there was a second loud crash from the main computer room, Brady guessed it was caused by Bolt. Then large fragments fell from the ceiling and tumbled down into the exhaust shaft towards where Wilson was. "I really must find new lines of work," Wilson said just before the heavy metal of the ceiling came down on top of him.

Brady sighed in relief, and returned to his primary objective. After that, he had to warn his love, Penny.


	15. The Trap

Chapter 15: The Trap

The main computer was nothing but a smoldering pile now. Bolt's superbark ripped it up like wallpaper, and after the powerful demonstration, most of the henchmen had fled the scene. But some still remained, to guard Richard. The circular rise it was mounted on was all that remained in the room, along the smaller stand for Richard. Penny marched angrily up the stairs of the large podium Bolt close by. Calico had ruined her life for the last time, and now he was going to pay. She finally reached the top where she found Calico standing in the center with two of his henchmen, another two still guarding Richard. Then Calico pulled out his own personal pistol and aimed it right at her. "Not a step closer!" he warned.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Oh my, five on two. I'm really scared now," she said in the most sarcastic tone she could get. "How about you just let me and my dad go, I won't have Bolt hurt you...much."

Calico laughed manically as usual, "Maybe you don't see, but _you_ are the one being held at gunpoint."

"Too bad I know you can't afford to kill me. Dad will stop working, remember?"

"Fine," he responded.

_Fine?_ Penny's thoughts echoed. What was going on? Didn't Calico still need the enhancement process? "Richard can stop working any time he pleases," the doctor continued. "You see, I don't need him. I never did."

"What?" Penny and Richard cried simultaneously.

"Yes! Don't you remember Richard? You gave it to me."

Penny looked questioningly at her father, "D-dad...?"

"Penny he's lying!" Richard said, then he glared at Calico. "You know I would never do such a thing!"

"Why..." Calico pretended to be confused. "But, you _did_. Don't you remember? When I captured your precious little girl, you sent it to me."

"What? The only thing I sent you was..." Richard's voice trailed off. "Rhino." Penny shot him another quizzical look. "When I sent Rhino, back in Arizona...you, you..."

"Thoroughly scanned his genetic signature and found the add-ons," Calico finished, grinning. "Yes, it's all starting to come together now isn't it? The only reason I captured Penny now and brought you here wasn't so I could get what I already had, but to ensure you were all out of the way during my domination. I already found out how to alter the process to human by comparing the hamster's signature to Bolt's when he was in my custody."

Penny's worry grew when her thoughts came across Brady. Did he know? Was he in on it? _No_. He would have told her, she _knew_ him. She was right. "As for your little boyfriend, Brady, I would have liked to have told him, but sadly, I knew, after being with you, despite his past, he couldn't just betray his little Penny-wenny. Pity really, I was starting to like him, and I just had the generator room cleaned."

Penny nearly fainted. Calico knew everything, and now they had blindly walked right into the trap. She felt her eyes fill up with tears, not feeling this way since she thought she lost Bolt. "Don't worry Calico! I did my best to not make too much of a mess!" Brady's voice rang out.

They all looked over to the other side of the room where Brady was standing. Penny cried out in pure joy at the sight. Brady shared the joy that Penny was unharmed, and suddenly Bolt's sheer hatred for him vanished. "Well doctor, I suggest you let us go now and surrender, or it's 'bye-bye' for your generator."

Penny smiled confidently as she turned back to Calico's confused face, "Well...oh my, this _is_ an unexpected turn of events. Well, I suppose I should be worried, I would be..._if_ my reactor was laden with explosives, that is."

His devious smile returned as did his gun to Penny's area of firing, much to Penny, Bolt, Richard and Brady's surprise. "Wait," Brady stammered. "I put a dozen remote grenades on there, what do you...?"

"No, my dear boy, I _knew_ you would steal from my stores, so I removed any _actual_ explosives from the area." Brady was stunned, he'd been so stupid not to have seen it before. "Now then, onto your executions."

Calico quickly took aim, and fired a bullet into Penny's shoulder. She cried out in pain as she fell to her knees, clutching her injured shoulder. Bolt, enraged, quickly shielded her from another bullet, growling as fiercely as Penny had ever heard. "_Penny_!" Richard cried out, as he pushed the two men guarding him aside and boldly leaped from his position to the main stand and ran to his injured daughter.

Brady also sprinted to the area where they were. "Well, this is just _beautiful_! The whole gang's here! How convenient," Calico said, reloading his gun.

"Calico," Penny said through her pain and gritted teeth. "It doesn't matter, Bolt it _still_ here. You can't do a thing."

Calico smiled and received small remote from one of the guards, "So true! That is...with Bolt around."

With that he pressed a button on the remote and a medium sized load of styrofoam packing peanuts descended on Bolt. Penny screamed in horror. "What! What is it?" Brady inquired frantically.

Calico took aim again and shot Bolt right in the side, right on the mark. The white shepherd collapsed immediately. "No! _NO!_" Penny shrieked and burst into tears, wrapping her arms around his motionless body.

"Wha...what happened? I thought he was invincible!" Brady questioned.

Penny continued to sob as Richard answered him, "Not entirely. It's the styrofoam, it weakens him."

"Why? Why would just styrofoam do that to him?"

Penny looked up from her fallen companion, "Y-yeah dad," she said trough her sorrow. "Why styrofoam?"

Richard sighed, "You see, when I designed the enhancement process, I decided with all that power there a should be some sort of restraint on it. You know, like an emergency off switch. So I just entered a random formula, which is now proving to be a mistake. Fortunately I worked the bug out with Rhino."

Calico watched the small discussion around Bolt's body with little emotion. He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I do have better things to do, so let's continue, shall we? You next Penny, I would very much like to put you out of your misery. I'd hate to see a small girl like you suffer so much."

Calico aimed once more at Penny, who turned back to her dog. "Please Bolt, you can't just die like that. Not after all that, please come back," she pleaded, ignoring her own physical pain. "Please, I _need_ you, I can't go on without you. You have to come back, please..."

Her voice was lost among her sobs, until she noticed Bolt wasn't bleeding, it had hit him square in the side, it looked as if it didn't hit him at all. "Dad?" Penny gestured down at Bolt's side.

Richard smiled, "I also worked it out with Bolt as well."

Penny gasped as Bolt began to rise, she began to plead more and more, "Come on Bolt, please. Just come back. You're my good boy, I _need_ you."

She started to embrace him once more but Richard stopped her for a moment. "What? But that's impossible! He should dead!" Calico shouted. "He should be..."

Suddenly two bright green lasers emitted from Bolt's eyes and narrowly missed Calico and sliced through one of the henchman's guns and began to overheat. The man panicked and through it aside as he made a run for the door with the rest of the men.

It exploded violently next to a fuel line which sent the blast up through the complex workings of the base and straight towards the generator. Richard grabbed Penny and Brady, "Well, old friend, I'm glad to see everything worked out." The three accompanied by Bolt also made a run for the door with Calico's startled black cat.

The entire base shook as it began to crumble, but Brady broke away from the group and stared up at what use to be the fuel line. Penny also broke away and ran after him. "Brady, come on!"

"Wait!" he shouted. "That fuel line doesn't lead to the reactor."

"It'll at least damage it! Come on!"

Bolt looked back to see Penny continually plead Brady to come along. That's when he noticed the large slab of metal falling towards them. "_PENNY!_" he shouted and raced after them.

Brady only noticed it just as Bolt plowed into them. They tumbled back towards the center of the room, Penny cried out even louder at her wound. Bolt came to her side instantly, she smiled once again, "Good boy," she said, breathlessly.


	16. The Escape

Chapter 16: The Escape

They looked back up to the rise in the center of the crumbling room, Calico snatched a small data pack from what was left of the computer and made a run for his personal jet which was parked on the far side. Penny turned back to Richard and shouted over the wreckage, "Dad! He's got the...enhancement...thing!"

"Not for long," he muttered to himself and pulled a small plastic ball from his jacket pocket, with a small brown hamster inside. "Rhino, I never thought I'd say this to you, but _fetch_!"

He pointed out Calico to him. "Ah, target acquired," Rhino said as Richard hurled him with all his might.

The ball went sailing through the air and hit Calico in the back of the head, he stumbled just short of his jet. He looked back to see what had hit him, "Oh, it's you."

"Nice to see you too," Rhino responded and he stepped out of his ball as Calico stumbled for his aircraft. "Not so fast!" he cried in the most heroic tone he could find.

Rhino grabbed on to Calico's foot and swung him off back towards the exit. He shouted a "head's up" to Bolt who was surprised to see him there. Bolt smiled, grabbed him by the leg and rebounded him off to Richard. He landed at his feet, and Richard picked him up, "Calico..." he said and punched him the face. "It's time we had a talk." Richard pulled him through the exit in the handcuffs . "Come on," he waved to the four as he walked out with the doctor.

Penny grabbed Brady's hand and pulled him towards the door, "Wait Penny," Brady said, pulling her back. "Wait, I have to make sure the generator blows."

"_NO_!" Penny shouted. "It'll blow, look around! This whole place is going to crumble!"

"I have to make sure! So Calico or any of his men won't find the process!"

Penny stared at him for a moment, not wanting to let go of him. Then she sighed deeply and brought their lips together for a few moments, then said, "Please be careful."

"I promise," Brady nodded. "It'll only take a second. Get clear just in case!"

Penny obeyed and she, Bolt and Rhino got off to a safe distance. They reached the exit and Penny waited. Brady got up to the control panel and scanned the remnant of the controls. The generator was damaged, but not destroyed. He looked for anything that would finish the job...aside from the emergency self-destruct, which would be releasing all the fuel cells at once. He looked all over, but found no other alternative. He looked back at the trio that was waiting for him. "Penny!" he called, soberly. "Get out, I have to release the all fuel cells for this to work."

_No, no Brady please! There has to be another way! You can't!_ "Brady! You won't be able to get out in time!"

"But you will," he said, putting his hand over the control. "I love you. Bolt, get her out of here."

He pressed the button, the entire base shook more than ever. Bolt didn't want to leave him there, but he had to protect Penny. He grabbed her by her uninjured arm and pulled her out with Rhino, despite her protests. They had only just barely made out to the surface when the entire base went up in flames, attracting the attention of the local authorities and medics of Bar Harbor, Acadia. Penny, Bolt and Rhino made it out onto the beach just in time. Much of the forest was beginning to catch fire. Sirens were blaring within minutes. Penny stared at the explosion for a moment, it wasn't as big as she thought it was going to be, the flames only reached a few meters above the trees. It didn't matter, Brady was gone. Penny collapsed in the sand and began to sob almost uncontrollably. Bolt approached on nuzzled her face in a futile attempt to calm her. She sat up and threw her arms around him, intense pain shot through his body, but he didn't care. Penny needed him, "Oh Bolt," she choked. "I know you didn't trust him, but..." Her voice trailed off and she returned to crying into Bolt.

Bolt also felt he was going to cry, he _didn't_ trust him entirely, but he could have at least tried to save him, for Penny. Richard knelt down beside her, "I'm sorry sweetie," he whispered. "And I'm sorry I still experimented on Bolt, I just...had to make sure..."

"Dad," she cut in. "It saved our lives, I'm not complaining."

Penny managed to smile faintly, before turning back to emptying her tears into Bolt's thick, beautiful white fur. "Oh you were too young to date anyway," Calico remarked, still in handcuffs before being knocked unconscious by Rhino.

Richard glared at Calico for a moment, then returned to his daughter, again noticing the bullet in her shoulder. "Come on Penny," he said, pulling her up. "We have to get this looked at."

The ambulances and police cars quickly lined up on the beach, policemen were roping off the entire area, while the medics tended to the injured henchmen and Penny. Her shoulder had already been patched up, but she still had to be taken to the hospital. "Go on sweetie, I'll meet you there," Richard urged just short of the ambulance. "I have to talk to a few people about this."

He kissed her on the forehead and walked off to a group of security officials. She had already heard that Wilson had been discovered alive, protected from the blast by large chunks of metal that were on top of him. She was escorted to the ambulance by a medic. "Now sit off to the side here," the medic said gesturing to the bench on the side. "We're going to have another come in here, he's in critical condition, but he'll make it."

Penny simply nodded and sat down, with Bolt on her lap. She had cried so much some of the medics were concerned she had pinkeye. She could hear the wheels of the gurney approaching and the concerned and worried voice of a woman along with it. She assumed it was the man's wife. She was questioning the medic if he was going to make it, "He's stable, but we're going to take him to the hospital, just to be safe."

She could tell it was coming to her ambulance and sighed. She just wanted to be alone, with the exception of Bolt. The doors were opened and the gurney was lifted into the vehicle. Penny opened her teary eyes expecting to see yet another wounded henchmen. It came to rest in front of her. It was Brady. Penny couldn't find words in time so she just cried out in absolute joy. The woman outside was Brady's mother. He opened his eyes and smiled, "Hey Penn," he muttered weakly.

Penny's eyes started to flow with tears once more as she carefully wrapped her arms around him. "Oh Brady, she said softly. "I thought I lost you." She pulled away and looked at him, his legs looked badly burned. His left arm was also looking partially crippled. Penny turned back to him and said, "Are...are you going to be okay?"

He placed his hand on Penny's, "Frankly, I've been better. But the doctor said it's not anything that won't heal in a couple of days." Then he turned his attention to Bolt, who, for once, appeared happy to see him. "Hey boy."

He reached out to scratch him and Bolt actually warmly acknowledged him. Penny laughed and kissed Bolt on the head, then set him on the floor of the ambulance, then she turned to Brady again. "Don't...do that again," she said her voice almost sounding stern.

Brady let out a faint chuckle, "Destroy a huge power generator? Yeah, I'll try to resist."

Bolt smiled as he watched the two laugh together, until he heard a familiar voice behind him, "_WAGS!_."

Bolt turned around to see Mittens running up to the ambulance with Rhino. "Mittens!" he shouted in return and ran out to meet her. They nuzzled when they met, "Mittens, what are you doing here?"

"I was worried when you didn't come back, so I followed Penny's dad," Mittens replied, with much worry in her voice. "I had to make sure you were okay..."

"I'm fine Mittens," Bolt cut in, looking back in at the ambulance. "Everyone's fine."

Mittens came up to Bolt's side, "So...you're okay with the whole, 'Penny and Brady' thing?"

Bolt smiled, "Yes. You're right Mittens, if Penny trusts him, I should too, I guess."

Penny was still speaking to Brady in a loving tone, "Brady, I know you're not as selfish as you once were."

Brady sighed, "It doesn't matter, I'm still selfish and you deserve better than me."

"No Brady, it _does_ matter. But it doesn't matter what I deserve, you're more than good enough for me."

She clutched his hand and smiled at him, Brady smiled back and said after a few moments, "I'm sorry about your shoulder. It's my fault. So...I guess Bolt likes me now."

"Yeah, I guess he does, and it is not your fault," she responded as Bolt leaped back into her lap.

"Sounds a little weird, doesn't it? It doesn't really matter who likes me."

Penny stared at him for a moment, then gradually smiled. He was partially right, _sometimes it does matter, but as long as your loved at all_...Penny stopped her thought for a moment. _That's right, loved._


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue and Author's notes: Together Again

Penny awoke in her bed, her eyes fluttering at the sudden bright morning light. She adjusted and looked around to see her room of their cottage. _Acadia, Maine_, her mind echoed. She looked over at Bolt and Mittens snuggling at her side. She smiled and gently scratched her companions, and then turned over to Brady, still asleep at her other side. She grinned even more and kissed him on the cheek, not too concerned by the fact that she technically slept with someone at age thirteen. He had turned around in his personality, maybe not completely, but she knew he could get there. She briefly glanced at the gold locket he gave her, a picture of her father was on one side, with a picture of her and Bolt on the other. She smiled and put it close to her heart, then looked back over to see Bolt had woken up and was looking at her. "Morning boy," she greeted ,scratching him behind his pointed ear.

Bolt warmly acknowledged her, then put his head back down by Mittens and woke her, "Bolt, this had better be important," Mittens said groggily.

"It is," he said dreamily. "It's family."

She smiled, lifted her head, and nuzzled him softly. "Was there something you wanted to...you know, say?"

"Just...I love you, as, you know, family. I trust Brady now, just so you know. If Penny's happy, I'm happy."

Mittens smiled, "_I'm_ happy for that."

"Thank you," Richard said cheerily to the clerk as he walked out of a nearby convenience store.

He had left early so he could get a head start on the day. Also so Penny and Brady would have something to eat in the morning. He had also purchased additional ingredients for his research. He had now promised Penny and himself that he would not experiment on animals again unless absolutely necessary. He was proud of Penny for being able to accomplish so much, even with Bolt, back at Calico's lair. He was almost more proud of himself for the advances in Rhino, though he still believed he ate too many energy pellets. But that wasn't important, Calico was defeated, and this time in jail, Penny and Bolt were safe, and he even had an idea for a new experiment. Penny reminded him that he was becoming obsessed with his lab works, but as long as he didn't test on Bolt again, she was content. He arrived back at the cottage and unloaded his groceries except for the items he required for his latest project. He had an idea which came from Wilson's damaged body suit. He decided to try and make one that would fit on a canine, he put the items in the trunk of his van next to the recovered body armor. "I think I'm going to have fun with this," he chuckled. "Wouldn't you agree Rhino?"

The brown hamster emerged from the trunk in his ball and giggled at the sight, "Let it begin, let it begin, _Let it begin!_"

_End_

**Author's notes**

_**Well, it's finally finished. The alternate sequel to **_**Bolt the Superdog: Origins. **_**Though, it's not even half as long or good as it, I must say I am impressed at how many people liked this for a first FanFic. Of Course, at least half of the credit goes to **_**Australian Chaos **_**for writing the masterpiece of **_**Origins, **_**and to Disney, for making the masterpiece of**_** Bolt.**_** Now here are the thanks in a proper manor. **_

_**Australian Chaos, for the story that inspired me to write my own stories and for allowing me to write this. And I just thought Brady was such an interesting element to the story, I just **_**had**_** to write about his future in my own way. You rock.**_

_**JimmyRocket, for writing the equally outstanding FanFictions that helped me along in my writing. You have a really good understanding of modern day issues with people, and you insert it into Bolt so incredibly well. Keep it up!**_

_**To all who read and reviewed, if it wasn't for them, this story may not have been completed. I was beginning to think it was going downhill. But I was reassured. Thanks.**_

_**This was fun to write and to read, and I have many more FanFictions in mind that I am eager to share. If you have any questions about this story, my email is shown on my profile. And if you have any questions about **_**Origins, **_**the address is auschaos (at) **__**.**__** Remember what Australian Chaos says, **__**"**__**Keep your pens sharp, your keyboards clean, and remember: There is no such thing as a wannabe writer...either you are a writer, or you are not."**_

"_**Do. Or do not. There is no try."**_


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